Mail-box.



No. 772,256. PATENTED 00T. 11, 1904. F. SGHMOYER.

MAILBOX;

AAAAAAAAAA N FILED AUG. 3. 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented October 11, 1904.

PATENT CEEICE.

FRANK SCHMOYER, OF CASEY, ILLINOIS.

MAIL-Box.

SPECIFICATION forming part of `Letters Patent No. 772,256, dated October 11, 1904;.

Application led August 3, 1904.

T0 @ZZ whom, it 71u07/ concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK SoHMoYER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Casey, in the county of Clark and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in rural-mail-delivery boxes; and the object of the invention is to produce a simple and efficient device of this character in which provision is made for indicating the receipt of mail and also for securely protecting the contents of the mail within the box or drawer.

The invention consists, further, in various details of construction and in combinations and arrangements of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claim.

My invention is illustrated in the ,accompanying drawings,which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, .form a part of'this application, and in which*n Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved mail-delivery box. Fig. 2 is an enlarged central sectional view, and Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the manner of attaching the box to any suitable support.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a housing which may be of any shape or size, preferably as shown in the drawings, and is provided with an inclined roof to the more effectually shed water and to keep the contents within dry. One end of said housing has an opening A', and B designates a door which is hinged at B to the bottom 'of the housing and at the margin at the aperture in the end thereof. A portion of said door projects beneath or in the rear of said hinges and is adapted to contact with the bottom of the housing, whereby the door is held horizontal when open, while a drawer C therein is pulled face of the door.

Serial No. 219,265. (No model out, forming a rest therefor. The free swinging end of the door is .tapered and adapted to conform to the end of the housing and is provided with a slot Z) to receive a staple a, projecting from the end of the housing, whereby when the door is closed the tongue of the padlock may pass through Vsaid staple to lock the door. A handle is fitted to the outer Said drawer is provided with a handle C, and D D designate springs which are anchored at their inner ends to one end of the housing, and their other ends are secured to the interior end of the drawer and normally hold the drawer within the housing. After the drawer is withdrawn the springs will be under tension, and when the drawer is released said springs serve to retract the drawer within the housing.

Mounted upon a standard E, which rises from the roof of the housing, is a pin E, and F is a rod pivotally mounted upon said pin and has a iag G at its upper end, while its lower end is curved slightly and is adapted to bear against a springearm K, one end of which is fixed to said standard* and which is adapted to yield slightly as the staff or shaft carrying the fiag is raised to a perpendicular position. An aperture K is formed in said spring-arm, in which the lower end of the flagstaff engages when approaching a perpendicular position, after which the spring will rise to its normal position to hold the flag-standard erect. By reason of the flag upon the staff being at one side thereof and preferably of metal when an operator depresses the spring-arm said Hag will normally fall by gravity into the position shown in Fig. 2. The purpose of the iiag is to give a visible signal that mail has been deposited within the box.

Fastened to the bottom of the box are two straps N, which are fastened to the middle portion of the bottom of the housing, the ends of which straps are iexible and adapted to engage strips O, which are fastened upon a bracketarm T, supported in any suitable manner.

While I have shown a particular detailed construction of mail-boxes forming my invention, it will yet be understood that I-may vary the detailed construction of the same in vari- IOO ous ways, if desired, without in any way departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A mail-delivery box comprising a housing, a door hinged to one end of said housing` and having a portion thereof projecting below the hinge and adapted to Contact with the bottom of the housing to hold said door horizontal when wide open, a drawer mounted within the housing adapted to rest upon said door normally hold the drawer within the housing, I 5 standards rising from the roof of the housing, a signal pivotally mounted between said standards, an apertured HeXible bar seeu red to said roof adapted to engage the aperture therein to hold the standards in an upright position, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK .SCHMOYER Witnesses:

E. GRAHAM, O. E. FANoI-IER. 

